


*everyone is typing...*

by gay_thot_writing



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: ALSO. all his regrettable uni decisions from canon? theyre highschool decisions now, F/F, F/M, Jonathan Sims Needs a Hug, Jonathan Sims Was In The Mechs - Freeform, M/M, Oblivious Jonathan Sims, Tim Stoker Is A Petty Bitch - Freeform, and he will get one, georgie and jon are friends, georgie isnt a regrettable decision but their relationship was a highschool thing instead, god as my witness bro we gonna get you some serotonin, i just think jon should have more friends, tim and jon are friends, time for a college fic folks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:02:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23815828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gay_thot_writing/pseuds/gay_thot_writing
Summary: Jon Sims knows two things: Georgie knows what's best for him, even when he doesn't think so, and Timothy Stoker is the most annoying man alive. Jon Sims does not know many things, such as when people are trying to be his friends. Even when it's glaringly obvious. Someone get this man some help. Or a clue, he clearly doesn't know where to find one.
Relationships: Basira Hussain & Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Basira Hussain/Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Georgie Barker & Jonathan Sims, Georgie Barker & Melanie King, Georgie Barker & Tim Stoker, Georgie Barker/Melanie King, Jonathan Sims & Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Jonathan Sims & Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood & Jonathan Sims, Martin Blackwood & Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims, Melanie King & Jonathan Sims, Sasha James & Basira Hussain, Sasha James/Tim Stoker
Comments: 87
Kudos: 334





	1. In Which Jon Gets Threatened By His Ex's Girlfriend

The first time Jonathan Sims met Martin Blackwood, he didn't think much of him. 

(Actually, what he thought of him could be pared down to: Oh, there is a person in my dorm room. This person is not Tim. I should see if Tim knows him. And then Tim had walked in and introduced them, and Jon and left to go back to the library for an hour.)

Martin had seemed harmless, though a stranger in his dorm room wasn't really a sight Jon was used to. 

(That was a lie. Jon was very used to the sight of strangers in his dorm room. He was not used to being introduced to them before he could leave.)

Nevertheless, he'd seemed harmless, if somewhat in the way, and Jon had gone on his way without paying him another thought. 

And then Martin had been back, two days later. Sitting awkwardly on Tim's bed, fiddling with the edge of his jumper, looking just as harmless and mildly in the way as last time. Jon had nodded to him as he went to the small desk he had pushed against the wall, retrieved his laptop, and left without a word. If Tim was going to have the same guest over multiple times, Jon could probably assume he was a friend, which meant Jon wasn't allowed to make an ass of himself around him. Thus, Jon found himself spending time in the library. Martin had been over three times that week, and each time Jon had greeted him awkwardly and left. 

The next week, Martin wasn't over at all. This didn't worry Jon, because Jon wasn't friends with Martin and, therefore, had no reason to worry about him. 

(This was also a lie. Jon was worrying about Martin, and that fact was worrying in itself. Why would he be concerned about a man he had only met thrice?)

Two days later, when Jon was coming back from class, he saw people outside his dorm room. He blinked, thinking for a minute that one of them was Martin, but then he recognized them just as Georgie turned, calling out to him. 

"Jonny boy!" she heckled as he walked over, throwing an arm around his shoulders. The fact that she had to go up on her toes to do so did not deter her. "Howyabeen?" she asked with her best approximation of your Bostonian uncle you've only met once, when you were four, and he would be insulted if he knew you didn't remember him. Jon sighed.

"Georgina. Melanie. I'd like to say I'm doing well, except it appears there's a gremlin hanging off my shoulders. Also, I got a migraine in the last four seconds, somehow," he deadpanned, making direct eye contact with Georgie. She giggled at him, moving off him and leaning on Melanie instead. "What are you two doing here, by the way? Is something the matter?"

"I could ask you the same thing, mister No-I-Can't-Hang-Out-With-Your-Super-Cool-Friends-Georgie-I-Have-A-Noon-Class. But, for your information, Jonathan the Grouch, we're looking for one of said super cool friends. We were gonna go to lunch, if you wanna come with." Jon sighed again, though he was smiling subtly. Georgie smiled back.

"My noon class was cancelled, but I should use the time to get to studying. According to my homework schedules, I'm going to have four essays next week, and I've only written two of them so far," Jon said, moving to disappear into his dorm for the rest of the day, but Melanie raised a single eyebrow in a disapproving look so powerful Jon felt his spine straighten. "Ooooor I could come with, I guess. If you all wouldn't mind, that is." Melanie's eyebrow lowered back down and Georgie beamed at him.

Melanie grinned as well, nodding at someone behind Jon. "Looks like the rest of the carpool just showed up." Georgie directed her smile at them, waving, and Jon turned around. He blinked, but this time he truly wasn't seeing things. Martin was here! And Tim as well, walking along next to him and waving jovially to Georgie. Jon did a double take, looking between his friends and his roommate. 

"Wait...," he said, looking between them once more as Tim and Martin reached them, "you all know each other?" Realization dawned on his face. "Oh my god. You're Georgie's Tim! You're Georgie's oh-my-god-did-I-tell-you-what-he-did-this-time Tim!" Jon continued babbling, recalling some of Georgie's stories of Tim shenanigans. "Why did you eat rocks that one time? What the fuck?"

Tim blinked, looking just as surprised as Jon was. "Okay, first of all, it was pebbles, and second of all, why do you know Georgie and Melanie?" Now it was Tim's turn for realization. "Oh my god. You're Georgie's Jon. You're Georgie's ex, the man who once went five consecutive weeks without sleeping for more than an hour in a row. The man who drank a large coffee cup full of just espresso. The man who once broke his arm and ignored it for two hours because you needed to finish an essay. Jesus, this explains so much," Tim rambled, looking around like a man dying. "Christ. My cryptid roommate and Georgie's cryptid ex are one and the same. What do I do with this information."

"I- I'm not a cryptid! And I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. My sleep schedule is none of your business," Jon protests to the room at large. Georgie's eyes light up.

"I win the bet! I win the bet!!" Melanie laughs, patting Georgie on the back. "I got him to come to lunch with us!! You all owe me so much, I was the third least likely one of us to win!!" Georgie laughs, absolutely delighted with herself. Jon looks confused as Martin and Tim groan. 

"Imagine betting against Georgie, ever, for anything? Wow, couldn't be me," Melanie gloats, slinging an arm around Georgie's shoulders. Jon looks even more confused.

"I'm sorry, what bet? What's happening?" Melanie and Tim light up at the same time as Martin looks very, very apologetic. 

"We made a bet to see who would get Tim's reclusive roommate to join society first. You're coming to lunch, so all of my other friends owe me a lot of money except for Melanie, who is wise enough not to bet against me," Georgie explains, grinning widely at Jon. He wonders if her face ever hurts from how much she smiles. 

"...Is it too late to decide to finish those essays instead?" Jon asks, stepping towards his room. He isn't sure he could stand the embarrassment of having lunch with a group of people who thought he was so reclusive they made bets to see who could get him to join society first. A lunch he had actually been invited to, that morning, by Tim, and declined. Yeah, he couldn't do this.

As he turns to escape, a hand shoots out and grabbed his arm. "Not so fast, mister. If you want to run off, do so on your own time. I bet in favor of Georgie, and I fucking love making Tim admit he was worse at literally any activity than another person. If you make a run for it, a large group of people are going to learn about an excellent musical group and their lovely first mate," Melanie threatens him.

"Is that a threat?" Jon asks.

"No," Melanie threatens, "it was a promise." She grins impishly at him, pulling up a very good quality photo of a beloved first mate. Jon lunges for her phone as Melanie steps gracefully backwards. She kindly turns her phone off, picking Jon up like he weighs little more than a particularly good book as he protests, thrashing about as he's hoisted. She laughs at his plight, and Georgina the traitor joins in. Jon scowls and petulantly slumps against her. "There there, mister Grumpman. I'll show you a cute video I took of the Admiral to make up for it."

Jon unscowls as best he can, though his face kind of neutrally returns to a scowling position whenever he stops thinking about it. He does his best to participate in the conversation that's going on, but it seems that Melanie is deliberately walking as bouncily as possible. He finds it hard to get out more than a few words. Eventually he falls into a grumpily content silence, simply listening to what everyone else is saying. 

As they approach the cafe Tim had mentioned wanting to check out, Jon finds himself smiling a little bit without even thinking about it.


	2. In Which Jon Is Bullied By People Other Than His Ex's Girlfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cafe time! also, this is a chat fic now, i think. but only a little bit. lovingly bullying jon squad rise up. and then give him a hug, he needs one.

Being carried into the cafe was an unpleasant experience, partially because Melanie was intentionally walking close enough to the side of the doorway to make Jon bump his shoulder into it and partially because he didn't particularly like being carried. As they reach a table with four chairs on either side of it, three of them already filled, Melanie unceremoniously dumps him in a chair. His back makes an unpleasant crunching noise as he lands. Two of the people already sitting at the table wince in sympathy, as does Martin. Tim looks like he's about to start laughing. 

"Why do your bones make that noise? What the fuck? Is your spine made of potato chips? Are you okay, dude?" Tim asks, the laughter in his voice making him sound mildly as if he were about to McFreaking Lose It. Jon scowls.

"My bones are Fine, Timothy. They are made of calcium, just like normal bones. They're simply not accustomed to being dropped quite so hard." Melanie starts laughing.

"You know that isn't true, Jonathan Middlename Sims. You get dropped that hard biweekly," she responds, sitting one chair down from him so Georgie sat between them. Georgie also laughs somewhat, politely attempting to stifle her giggles with her sleeve. Jon scowls harder.

When Melanie says his name, the three people at the table that Jon doesn't know all look up. The one on the furthest end, a dark-skinned woman with silver-rimmed glasses, nods a little at the other two women. "Are we right in assuming that you're Jon, then? That means Melanie won the bet, right?" She looks excited at the prospect of Melanie having won the bet. Jon thinks she had money on Melanie, which is always sound unless Georgie is also competing. Melanie grins at her.

"I appreciate the confidence, Sasha, but Georgie actually won. I was just carrying him for her," she responds, grinning. The woman- Sasha, Jon corrects himself- sighs in defeat and hands five pounds to Georgie and ten to Melanie. Tim chooses that moment to take the seat next to Sasha, leaving the only open chair the one on the other side of Jon. Martin timidly sits down, also hanging some money to Georgie and Melanie. The woman sitting on the other side of Sasha from Tim grins.

"Okay, so everyone who bet against Georgie winning owes Georgie one part and Melanie two, so the actual amount depends on how much you bet. I, the only sensible and good-hearted and wise member of this friend group, bet lunch rather than money, so I'm gonna go get three muffins. If any of you kill each other while I'm gone, I'll be very disappointed in all of you, especially the dead ones," she says cheerily, climbing over the woman on her other side to get to the counter. 

The rest of the table settles quietly before Jon looks up. "Sorry, I, uh. I don't think I've been introduced to the two of you? Or to her, I suppose," he says, nodding in the direction of the woman who just left. The two women on the other side of the table both nod. "I'm Jonathan Sims," Jon says, offering his hand across the table. 

"I'm Sasha James," Sasha says, shaking his hand, "and that's Basira Hussain. The mean one getting breakfast and calling it lunch is Alice Tonner, but we call her Daisy." She grins impishly at Jon as he shakes Basira's hand as well. Daisy gets back, setting a blueberry muffin and a chocolate chip muffin in front of Melanie and an apple cinnamon muffin in front of Georgie. 

"Introductions over?" she asks, climbing over Basira again to sit down. Basira smiles at her. 

"You know you can just, like, go around me, right? Babe, these chairs aren't stationary." Daisy grins and kisses Basira on the cheek.

"Climbing over people is so much more fun, though!" Sasha laughs at their antics, turning back to face Jon's side of the table.

"Now that everyone's here... Jon, would you like to join our group chat?" she asks innocently. Jon blinks. 

"Really? Uh. Sure, I suppose," he responds, surprised. She grins. 

"Georgie, you have his discord, right? Add him. Everyone else, you know what to do!" Georgie pulls out her phone and adds Jon to the group chat. Jon pulls out his phone, but Melanie, who seems to have finished whatever everyone else is doing, stops him. 

"Jon, Jon, Jon. No sending a message yet. That would make this too easy for the rest of us," she chides him, grinning. Jon looks bewildered.

"It would make what too easy? What are you all doing?" he asks, absolutely thrown for a loop. Georgie, who also seems to have finished typing, looks up with bright eyes. 

"We're setting every name in the group to Jon! As we figure out who each person is, the person who figured it out gets to set the nickname of the person they figured out," Georgie explains, smiling at him. "It's a fun goof to see how well we know each other's syntax and stuff. If you get anyone except me figured out, I'll be immensely proud of you." Jon smiles slightly at that.

Once everyone has their names set to Jon, they settle into a comfortable rhythm. They get lunch and talk casually, getting to know Jon better. After about twenty minutes, Jon looks up. "Wait, Melanie, you promised me Admiral videos! Give me the excellent boy you scoundrel," he demands, looking over at her. Melanie grins and pulls out her phone, obligingly opening a video of the Admiral. Jon smiles at the video. The Admiral is laying in a sunbeam, rubbing the side of his face on the ground to scratch it. He is very cute. The rest of the group gathers around one side of the table to watch the video of the wonderful baby boy. 

Later, as they're all heading back to whatever place they have to go next, Jon pulls his phone out. His next class isn't for an hour, so he does end up heading back to the dorm room to work on his essays for a bit. When his alarm rings, he packs up and heads to class.

He has a hard time focusing on the lecture, however. He keeps remembering Martin sitting next to him, his kind smile directed towards Jon. He scowls down at his notes. Why is he so concerned with Martin? He remains in a funk as he walks back to his dorm room. When he enters, he notices that Tim is sitting on his side of the room. He nods to him, setting his laptop down on his desk. When he turns back around, Tim looks like he wants to ask him something. Jon sits on his bed, putting him at eye level with Tim. "What do need to talk about?" he prompts, sounding as nonconfrontational as he's capable of.

Tim looks over him with a scrutinizing gaze. "Why did you say no when I asked if you wanted to come to lunch, but you said yes when it was Georgie asking?" He sounds genuinely hurt by this. Jon's eyes widen.

"I apologize. I thought you were asking me out of politeness or social convention. Georgie and Melanie are too often rude to me for societal convention to be the reason for her invite; I believed you did not actually want me to join," he offers by way of explanation. Tim blinks, seeming surprised by this answer.

"Oh. Jon, I thought you just didn't want to be my friend. Oh my god. Who hurt you?" The last question seems rhetorical, so Jon doesn't answer. Tim sighs again. "Okay. We gotta get you some self esteem."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOMEONE GIVE THIS MAN A HUG. also were gonna get some chat shenanigans next chapter, get hype folks! find me on tumblr at r0sebutch if you wanna give me prompts for future chapters, i dont really have a plot in mind here


	3. In Which The Promised Chat Shenanigans Are Offered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> have some chat shenanigans and also georgie barker, if youre out there, i love you so much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jon :) is martin  
> Jon (*o*) is tim  
> Jon :3 is georgie  
> Jon is jon  
> jon owo is melanie  
> Jon >:3 is sasha  
> Jon. is daisy  
> jon is basira

**Jon :)**  
hey folks! does anyone want to meet up tomorrow for ice cream? there's that new parlor on the east quad that seems fun!

 **Jon (*o*)**  
yeah sure  
u got a timeframe in mind

 **Jon :)**  
hm. does two work for everyone?

 **Jon :3**  
yeah!! that works for me!

 **Jon**  
That sounds pleasant. That time works for me as well.

 **Jon :3**  
:0!!!!! the True Jon!!!!! you have been Discovered!!!!!

no one else talks that much like a grandpa

 **Jon :3** has set **Jon** 's name to **The Admiral's Dad-miral**

 **The Admiral's Dad-miral**  
Ah. That would make you Georgie, then.

 **The Admiral's Dad-miral** has set **Jon :3** 's name to **Ghost Town**

 **Ghost Town**  
really jon? i expected more cleverness from you, old man!

 **The Admiral's Dad-miral**  
I apologise. I could not come up with a better name.

 **Ghost Town**  
you're forgiven :p

 **Jon :)**  
aw, cute!

 **Jon (*o*)**  
martin  
you foule

 **Jon (*o*)** has set **Jon :)** 's name to **flame waf**

 **flame waf**  
aaa how could you?  
tim? sasha?  
melanie?  
god darnit why do you many of you know this goof!!

 **Jon (*o*)**  
this wuz my master plan  
all alongggggggg

 **flame waf**  
that eliminates it being sasha! she knows how to spell

 **jon owo**  
damn martins feral today

 **The Admiral's Dad-miral**  
I hope he is not.

 **jon owo**  
HJGFJGHGHJ  
OG JON DOESNT KNOW HWAT FERAL MEANS  
i dont know what to do wiht this information  
fjghskjdfjgdshj

 **Ghost Town**  
there you are, melanie!

 **Ghost Town** has set **jon owo** 's name to **gluten free**

 **gluten free**  
georgieeeeeeeee  
you blew my coverrrrrr  
and also someone elses but. shut

 **Ghost Town**  
love u babe <3!

 **Jon.**  
Okay. Let's catalogue who's left.  
Leftover Jon's sound off

 **Jon (*o*)**  
here

 **Jon >:3**  
here as well!

 **jon**  
Me too

 **Jon.**  
Okay. Half of us remain.

 **flame waf**  
wAIT HANG ON

 **gluten free**  
there he is. good to dee y bud

 **flame waf**  
_@Jon (*o*)_ TIMOTHY STOKER. YOU STINKMAN.

 **flame waf** has set **Jon (*o*)** 's name to **garbage boy. stinkman.**

 **garbage boy. stinkman.**  
thatz fair

 **The Admiral's Dad-miral**  
I do not understand any of what has just transpired.

 **gluten free**  
well only tim sasha and me know the joek im amrtins name  
also martin k ows it i guess  
so since i was discovered and tim made a typeo martin ficured him out  
bc sasha doesnt make tyeps

 **The Admiral's Dad-miral**  
Well. That was near incomprehensible.  
But thank you for the explanation nevertheless, Melanie.

 **gluten free**  
youre welcome bastard man i know that you dont understand The Youthes

 **The Admiral's Dad-miral**  
Hey.

 **gluten free**  
<3

 **flame waf**  
okaybut  
does two work for everyone?

 **gluten free**  
OH YEAH  
yes it does

 **garbage boy. stinkman.**  
yea same here

 **Jon.**  
Yes.

 **jon**  
Yea, two works for me.

 **Jon >:3**  
yep!  
i'm gonna go to class

 **garbage boy. stinkman.**  
neeeeeeerd

 **gluten free**  
neeeeeeerd

 **Ghost Town**  
neeeeeeerd

 **The Admiral's Dad-miral**  
Neeeeeeerd.

 **Jon >:3**  
et tu, real jon?

 **The Admiral's Dad-miral**  
:)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> flame waf is martin  
> garbage boy. stinkman. is tim  
> Ghost Town is georgie  
> The Admiral's Dad-miral is jon  
> gluten free is melanie  
> Jon >:3 is sasha  
> Jon. is daisy  
> jon is basira


	4. In Which Your Esteemed Author Projects, Like, Really Fuckin Hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> alt title: in which your problematic fave author is PROJECTING ON JON TO INFODUMP ABOUT SUZY WALSHAM BUT YOU SHOULD LEGITIMATELY LOOK HER UP FOR REAL SHES A FUCKING HERO.
> 
> also. if you thought i would do an ice cream chapter and not have jon infodump you thought wrong.

Jon looks around the ice cream parlor as he walks in. Checking his phone, he realizes that he's actually earlier than he thought he was. He looks once more around the parlor, not seeing any of the group chat people there yet. He takes a seat tentatively at an open table, making sure there are enough seats for everyone. 

And then he sits, and fidgets, and messes with his phone, and waits. 

Jon looks up every time the bell above the door rings, but it's not until 1:50 that someone he knows enters the parlor. Martin walks in, fiddling with the hem of his sweater and looking around the space. When his eyes land on Jon, he lights up, and Jon feels a smile scrawl its way across his face gently. He walks over to the table Jon is sitting at and sits as well, grinning. 

"I thought I was going to end up the first one here! How long have you been waiting, Jon?" Martin asks, his smile coloring in the edges of his voice.

"Oh, not that long, I don't think," Jon responds, smiling at him. "You can get your ice cream, if you'd like. I don't mind saving the table." Martin laughs softly.

"You got here first, you've been saving the table this whole time! Go get your ice cream, I'll wait for a bit." Jon moves to protest, but Martin shushes him, making little shooing motions. 

When Jon returns, a double scoop of rum and raisin and French vanilla in hand, Daisy and Basira have joined Martin at the table. Daisy is sitting where Jon had originally been, so he sits next to Martin, nodding at them. Martin falls silent, staring at the ice cream in Jon's hand.

"Jon," he asks, incredulity barely restrained, "what flavors are those?"

"Rum and raisin and French vanilla," Jon responds casually, picking up his spoon. Daisy cackles, Basira raising a hand to her mouth to stifle her own laughter. Martin simply looks at Jon, clearly aghast. 

"Jon. No," Martin sighs, shaking his head. Suddenly, Jon feels an arm fall around his shoulders and looks up to see Tim, grinning manically at him. Sasha stands next to him, grinning, with Melanie and Georgie behind her.

"Jonnyboy. Jon. Jonathan. Why in the name of fuck are you having the worst flavor and the boringest flavor. My dude. My man. Get something with any taste at all, please, I beg of you," Tim implores, leaning heavily on Jon's shoulders. Jon's spine creaks in protest and Tim drops gracelessly into the chair next to him. Sasha lands next to him, Georgie and Melanie ending up on the other side of the table. Once everyone has gotten their ice cream and returned, continuing to harp on Jon about his flavor choice all the while. Casual conversation intermingles with the occasional fond insult, trading comments back and forth between the table. Suddenly, Georgie looks up with a gleam in her eye. She sets aside her salted caramel, grinning at Jon.

"Hey Jon? Could you tell me a bit more about that sport you were talking about earlier?" she asks casually, smiling innocently at him. He brightens as she picks her ice cream back up.

"Really? I thought you were bored earlier!" She shakes her head fondly, gesturing for him to talk. The rest of the group looks over at him, nodding. Tim looks a bit bewildered that Jon knows anything about sports, as do Daisy and Sasha, but Martin merely looks interested. Melanie is looking at Georgie, a fond sparkle in her eyes, and Basira is half paying attention to Jon and half making sure Daisy doesn't do anything. Jon perks up instantly. 

"Okay! So, for the rest of you who weren't there earlier, I was telling Georgie about tower running! It's competitively climbing stairs, and it's also called vertical running! The current reigning world champion is Suzy Walsham, who has won the Empire State climb for the last ten years and the Eiffel Tower climb for the last five years! She started tower running because her track career was causing her a lot of injuries and vertical running gave her a lot fewer injuries! There's less stress put on the body while stair climbing instead of doing track, so it was a great way for her to continue her career in running while still keeping herself safe! Her first race was in Singapore in 2006, and the prize was a chance to compete in the Empire State Building climb. Funnily enough, she wasn't actually that interested in the race, even though it's one of the biggest events in tower running! She just wanted to win the chance to visit New York! But she did win, and then she won the race in New York, and then she kept winning and winning and competing! Vertical running was how she kept in shape after she had her first son, as well. She's quite the inspiration!"

As Jon keeps talking about Suzy Walsham and vertical running, Martin sighs fondly. Tim and Sasha exchange a Look, Georgie grinning delightedly. A shit eating grin appears on Daisy's face and Basira sets a hand on her arm, keeping her from hatching any nefarious schemes. Melanie texts the Chaos Groupchat under the table, Tim instantly looking down at his phone. A grin that matches Daisy's scrawls across his face. He mumbles something about going to the bathroom and, as he gets up, not-so-subtly bumps into Jon, leading him to fall halfway into Martin's lap. Jon's rambling monologue stumbles to a halt with a squeak, his face scrunching up in surprise. Martin lets out an identical squeak, his own face flaming red. Tim apologizes, laughter in his voice, as Jon stands up and sits back down in his own seat. Georgie grins into Melanie's shoulder. 

As the conversation resumes, Jon's talk about Suzy Walsham put on hold, Martin keeps looking over at Tim, confusion evident in his eyes. The group talks and finishes their ice cream, some people peeling off for classes or meetings with counselors. Eventually, the only people left are Martin, Tim, Melanie, and Georgie. Jon had just left for his class, so Martin turns to Tim.

"Why did you push Jon? And don't try to sell me that 'It was an accident' type stuff, Timothy Stoker. I know when you're lying." Tim barks out a laugh, Melanie fondly smiling at Martin. 

"Martin," Georgie begins, Tim still laughing, "Tim pushed Jon over because he's trying to set you two up. He thinks you two would be cute together. To be fair, he was right. You two were adorable!" Melanie nods her agreement. Martin flushes red once more. 

"I- We- I'm- Does Jon even like men? I- I mean, not that I'm interested! I, er," Martin trails off at the disbelieving looks his friends are giving him. "Wh-what? I'm not! Interested, that is. I barely know him!"

"And yet," Melanie says dryly, Tim's laughter beginning to die off. 

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much!" Tim chimes in before devolving back into giggles. Melanie rolls her eyes.

"Theater kid ass, oh my god," she says, shaking her head. She then turns back to Martin. "He's right, though. You're absolutely interested in Jon. Your face when he was talking about that running lady-"

"Suzy Walsham," Martin interrupts helpfully.

"Yeah, her. You were looking at him like he hung the moon, Martin. Even if you don't realize it yet, you absolutely have a crush on this man. Terrible taste, by the way. Just awful." Georgie huffs out an annoyed laugh, elbowing Melanie.

"Hey! I take offense to that," she laughs, throwing an arm around Melanie's shoulders. "If my taste's so bad, what does that say about you, Melanie?" The woman in question gasps, throwing a hand to her forehead dramatically. 

"You wound me! How dare you! My own beloved Georgina, she hast slain me, and I shall not rest in peace." She collapses against Georgie's shoulder. Tim laughs.

"Now who's the theater kid?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at Melanie. She sits up instantly.

"Still you. Can we get back to harping on Martin about how bad his taste is yet?" She turns to Martin only to find his seat empty and Martin-less. She whirls to see Martin hurriedly leaving the parlor and sighs. "We lost 'im, boys." Georgie laughs musically as Tim sighs.

"Not another one. He was so young! So youngggggg," Tim bemoans, collapsing across Martin's vacated seat. The three head out eventually, planning future ways to set up Jon and Martin. Eventually, they settle on the best plan they've come up with so far. A plan which will 100% get Martin to admit his feelings, if only to himself.

They're going to go to karaoke night.


	5. In Which Martin Does Some Realizing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> alt title: in which martin blackwood is a Certified Mess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> special thanks to @kazoologist for the suggestion of which mechs song to use. the bar they go to in this chapter is not a real bar to my knowledge so dont come after me if it is actually real but its in wales or something
> 
> flame waf is martin  
> garbage boy. stinkman. is tim  
> Ghost Town is georgie  
> The Admiral's Dad-miral is jon  
> gluten free is melanie  
> Jon >:3 is sasha  
> Jon. is daisy  
> jon is basira

**Ghost Town**  
anyone wanna meet at the sleeping fire tonite!!!

 **gluten free**  
oh karaoke night tonigte? hell yea always !!

 **garbage boy. stinkman.**  
oh absolutely

 **The Admiral's Dad-miral**   
That does sound pleasannnnnnnnmmmm,  
Apologies.  
Georgie took my phone.

 **Jon >:3**  
well, now you have to come!  
you got our hopes up!

 **garbage boy. stinkman.**  
aha! that makes u sash!!!

 **Jon >:3**   
your proof?

 **garbage boy. stinkman.**  
well. youre encouraging jon to do activites.  
daisy doesnt encourage and basira doesnt pay enough attention to my jon stories to go out og her way to get him to socialize

 **garbage boy. stinkman.** has set **Jon >:3**'s name to **i cant see you without my glasses**

 **i cant see you without my glasses**  
okay. thats fair.

\--------------------------------

So, that Friday finds Jon being dragged to a sleazy bar that Georgie assured him was 'nicer than it seemed'. He isn't fully sure he trusts her judgement on that, but he wears one of his nicer tshirts and his favorite jeans anyways. She grins when he and Tim leave their dorm room.

"Hang on a sec, Jon," she says, stepping towards him. He sighs as her hands trace over his hair, messing it up into a style he hadn't worn since high school. He rolls his eyes as she steps back to assess her work.

"Is this really necessary, Ge-" he begins to ask, but she shushes him, turning to root through her purse. She pulls out exactly what Jon was expecting: a slightly worn down eyeliner pencil. He stays still obligingly as she 'works her magic'. Her lines are much thinner than she usually does for him, which is a nice surprise. He'd liked wearing that much makeup when he was performing, but now it seemed too much, so the lighter lines are much appreciated. She steps back and looks him over before nodding.

"Alright. If you decide to sing tonight, tell me so I can record it." She grins at him as he groans, Melanie sending him a knowing wink from her side. 

"If we're quite done tormenting me, can we go?" Jon asks, brushing past Georgie, Melanie, and Tim brusquely. Melanie laughs delightedly.

"Just a little bit of eyeliner is enough to bring him out, huh?" she asks around her laughter. Tim looks between the three of them confusedly.

"I'm sorry, what the fuck is happening? Since when is Jon okay with messy hair and eyeliner? What is this?" Melanie laughs harder, Georgie joining in jovially. Jon scowls and Does Not Answer Him, so Tim is left sputtering. This makes Melanie and Georgie laugh harder. By the time they get to the bar, Jon's almost forgotten his annoyance. However, his first step into the bar brings it back quickly as his shoe sticks to the floor physically. He pulls his foot up with a squelching noise.

He turns to make his great escape, but Melanie scoops him up and carries him over to where Martin and Sasha are sitting. He growls in frustration. 

"One of these days, I'll thrash too hard and you'll break your back." She laughs in response, setting him down next to Martin. He nods at Martin and Sasha in greeting, grumpily slouching back. Sasha laughs and waves back to him, nudging Martin, who is just looking at Jon in stunned silence. He jumps when Sasha nudges at him, waving shyly at Jon as he turns red.

Georgie grins at the way Martin went still the moment he'd seen Jon. If he still denied having a crush after tonight, Georgie would kill him herself. 

A half hour and a round into the night, Georgie grabs Jon's arm, yanking him up and to the stage, which had just been vacated. She selects a song for him, hands him the mic, and grins cheekily at him. "Good luck!! Go get 'em, tiger!" she teases him, heading back to the table and pushing him onto the stage. He rolls his eyes affectionately at her, looking over the screen to see what song she's chosen for him. When the title scrolls across the screen, he feels several conflicting emotions. The song is one of his favorites, but all of his friends (save Daisy and Basira) were here, and only Melanie and Georgie knew about the Mechs. 

But the song is beginning, and the eyes of the crowd are on him already, so he closes his eyes, decision made. When he opens his eyes again, he feels the crowd fade away for one moment of calm before they come roaring back. Jonathan Sims is gone.

And Jonny d'Ville takes the mic.

The song goes by in a flash. It's been ages since he's performed, much less one of his one songs, but Hellfire comes to him as naturally as breathing, and as he growls out the last words, he sends a flirty scowl into the audience. If he makes eye contact with Martin when he does so, he can pretend it was an accident.

When he tumbles off the stage, laughing, Georgie is waiting for him. She catches him, grinning as she hoists the still-laughing man on her shoulders and carts him back to the table of their waiting friends. Melanie is wearing a grin to rival Georgie's, and a matching one is breaking through Tim's look of pure shock. Sasha is switching between delight, shock, and pride. Martin is simply staring. He looks like he needs to be restarted. 

Tim breaks before Sasha, attacking Jon with question after question. He stonefacedly Does Not Answer Him and kicks Melanie grumpily when she begins to answer for him. She laughs. Jon isn't sure if she's having a moment of compassion or if she just thinks Tim's suffering is funnier than Jon's, but she stops answering him. Martin is still just sitting and staring at Jon, growing steadily more red. When Jon looks over and makes eye contact, Martin squeaks and looks away. 

Jon smiles fondly and turns back to his drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you want to happen next im out of plot points. also hit me up on tumblr at r0sebutch i have some good tma posts there


	6. In Which Jon Is Forced To Explain Some Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y'all said you wanted to see some actual real reactions to this instead of jon brushing it off and skedaddling so take this, it starts right after the last chapter ends

Jon's been batting away questions from Tim and Sasha all night. Because Georgie made him sing in the first place, Melanie's helping him avoid explaining by changing the topic and glaring at the question asker every time he sends a pleading look her way. Jon is eternally grateful for her help.

Eventually, however, Tim lulls Melanie into a false sense of security by leaving the topic alone for an hour. When Sasha asks her casually to grab another round- on Tim's card, of course- Melanie gets up with a smile. As soon as she's out of earshot, Tim and Sasha turn to Jon with twin grins across their faces. Realization scrawls its way across his face, but Sasha opens her mouth first, which is at least marginally reassuring. He knows that Tim is merciless in his teasing, but Sasha he doesn't know as well. Maybe she'll go easier on him. Maybe.

"So, Jon, first of all, may I say, what the fuck was that?" she asks delightedly. "And second of all, what. The Fucké. Was that?" she adds, a manic tone creeping into the edges of her voice. Jon shrinks back at her excitement.

"Um. I. May have. Possibly, maybe, perhaps, beeninabandwithGeorgiesenioryearofhighschool. And we might have recorded some karaoke tracks for our songs. And I might have been the lead singer. Maybe. Possibly." Jon adds a small, scared smile to the end of this explanation. One can practically hear the cartoony 'ting!' when he smiles. He winces at the pure delight gracing both Tim and Sasha's faces. "This was a bad idea, I think," he comments as more questions burst forth from the pair in front of him. Georgie pats his shoulder reassuringly.

"What was your stage name?"

"What was the band like?"

"What was the band called?"

"What did Georgie play?"

"Can we see pictures?"

"Can- actually, no, yeah, can we see pictures, Jon?" Sasha finishes, smiling eagerly at him. Jon blinks.

"I think that depends on Georgie, actually. She was in the band, too, so any picture of the band would include her as well." He looks over at Georgie, as do Tim and Sasha. She appears to consider it for a minute as Tim and Sasha begin to vibrate. Martin even comes out of his stupor and looks interested as well, which seems to sway Georgie to stop prolonging their torture. 

"Yeah, sure, why not." Tim and Sasha grin and squeal and Martin perks up as Jon pulls out his phone. He scrolls for a minute and finally nods, turning his phone around. Tim is the first to react, a peal of surprised, elated laughter bursting out of him. Sasha is next, similar laughter lighting up her countenance. Martin seems to have fallen back into his earlier stupor, staring at the photo in front of him in shock. 

"That's _you_?!?!?!? I'm sorry, that's our very own _Jonathan Sims_ looking like a gay, emo, steampunk pirate?!?!?!? What the fuck???" Tim wheezes out, still crouched over in laughter. Tears are beginning to form in his eyes.

"Jon. Jon please. Jon I need to know. What was your stage name. Jon please I need to know," Sasha manages to ask despite her laughter.

"......Jonny de Ville," he answers reluctantly. The laughter starts back up again from the other side of the table. Martin begins to stir from his frozen state, shock still visible in his eyes. After hearing Jon's answer, a grin starts to make its way across his face as well.

"Sorry, let me make sure I have this right. In your senior year of high school, you were in a band. Where you dressed like a steampunk pirate. And you went by Jonny de Ville. That all?" Martin asked, incredulity laced through every word.

"Um. We were called the Mechanisms. And. Wewerespacepirates."

"You were-" Martin starts, only to be interrupted by Tim.

"YOU WERE SPACE PIRATES? JONATHAN MIDDLENAME SIMS YOU WERE SPACE PIRATES???"

"Oh my god he was space pirates," Sasha answers, cackling. Georgie snorts and Jon looks over at her, utterly betrayed. Martin stifles a laugh as well and Jon turns the look to him, which only makes him laugh a bit harder.

"Attaboy, Martin, make fun of your man!" Sasha crows, Tim cackling next to her. Martin reddens and stutters out a protest, but Jon fails to notice because he's distracted making betrayed faces at Georgie. Tim and Sasha share a disappointed look. Just then, Melanie returns from the bar carrying an entire round of drinks. Georgie, Tim, and Sasha cheer, while Martin thanks her and Jon protests.

"Jon. I already bought the drinks. Either you drink it or I do, bud," Melanie tells him, putting the drink in front of him. Jon acquiesces, taking a sip obligingly before daintily setting the drink back in front of him. Melanie grins graciously at him. Both of their sarcasm is clear from a mile away. Tim, Sasha, and Martin, look back and forth between the passive aggressive tennis match before them while Georgie relaxes, used to their collective bullshit. 

An hour and another drink later, Jon is buzzed and giggly in a way that no one but Georgie and Melanie has seen him before. He leans against Georgie's shoulder, laughing his way through a story about freshman year of college. Georgie makes direct eye contact with Tim and gently tips Jon onto Martin's shoulder instead. Jon giggles as he falls, but continues his story anyways, leaning heavily on Martin. 

Tim and Georgie fist bump under the table as Martin goes bright red, freezing in his exact position to make sure that Jon isn't scared away. Sasha takes photos for posterity and sends all of them to the group chat for Jon to discover when he's sober. 

For the moment, Georgie takes note of which story Jon is telling so she can give Martin the second half of it at a later date. She's almost certain he'll want to hear it, and she's fully certain he'll have no memory of hearing it tomorrow starting from the point Jon landed on him.

Later that night, when they're all pleasantly buzzed and hanging off each other, they start walking home. Tim has his arm around Sasha's waist, and he looks at Jon over her shoulder. Jon's eyes widen and he nods gently. He falls back, planning to ask Georgie if he can crash at hers for the night, but she and Melanie are walking fully leaned against each other, grinning and giggling. He sighs and catches up with Martin, elbowing him gently.

"Hey, I have... a feeeeeeeeeling," he drawls, nodding at Tim and Sasha, "that myyyyyyy dorm room is going to beeee... taken over tonight. Any chance IIIIIII could crash at yoooooours?" As he talks, Jon slumps progressively further against Martin's arm. Martin laughs against him, and he feels the gentle shake of it.

"What about Geor-" he begins to ask, but Jon nods to where Georgie and Melanie are giggling. Melanie places a kiss against Georgie's cheek and the pair of them pose ostentatiously when they see Martin looking over. He laughs. "Fair enough. Sure, Jon, you can stay at mine tonight."

Behind their backs, Melanie and Georgie fist bump.


	7. In Which Martin Realizes And Does Not Stop Realizing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i disappeared for two months kjfjdsghsdf take this *runs away*

With Tim and Sasha stumbling off to Tim's dorm room and Melanie and Georgie traipsing towards Georgie's apartment, Martin and Jon fall into a comfortable silence. Martin is more sober than he'd like, though he had had a couple of beers. He doesn't particularly care for the taste, but they had been in front of him and Jon had been practically growling into the karaoke mic and Martin had needed to be far, far drunker than he had been. 

Jon is giggly and warm, holding Martin's arm and leaning into his side as they walk to Martin's apartment. His building is pretty close to campus, so they don't bother with calling a cab, but Jon is slumping against him as they walk and Martin is just barely holding it together and- he takes a deep breath. The night air is cold, which helps him clear his head somewhat. He's able to focus on making sure Jon doesn't fall as they reach his building. He rests Jon against the wall so he can go unlock the door to the building, but Jon is latched onto his arm tightly. Martin resigns himself to rummaging through his bag for his keys one-handed. Jon is humming, he thinks.

"Jon, are you humming?" he asks absentmindedly as he finds his keys and begins to unlock the door. Jon stops humming and hugs Martin's arm closer.

"Maybe," he answers, a giggle in his voice. Martin huffs out a fond laugh and opens the door. The pair of them make their way up the stairs, Martin practically carrying Jon by the time they reach his floor. He has to set him down to unlock his front door, but Jon immediately latches back onto his arm, pressing his cheek into Martin's shoulder. Martin smiles at his antics and lets them both in, toeing his shoes off and carrying Jon to the living room. 

"Okay. You have to let go so I can go get you a cup of water. You should take the bed, because if I sleep on the couch I'll just be stiff, but I'm pretty sure you'd break in half," he says, setting Jon on a chair as best he can. Jon groans as he's pried off of Martin's arm and reaches back towards him. Martin steps back. Jon groans again.

"Mmnh. 're warm though," he eloquently protests. Martin sighs and smiles and turns towards the kitchen before Jon can see him blush. Of course, Jon most likely won't remember this in the morning, but it never hurts to be cautious. He draws up two glasses of water and pops into the bathroom to grab painkillers from the medicine cabinet before heading back into the living room. He smiles at the sign of a sleepy Jon, all curled up in his armchair and smiling blearily at him.

"C'mon. Let's get you to bed before you make your spine even worse," Martin cajoles, reaching a hand out for Jon. He hoists him to his feet and, in the time it takes for Martin to grab one glass of water and the bottle of painkillers, Jon loops Martin's arm across his shoulders and nestles against his chest. Martin tuts fondly at him as he steers him towards the bedroom. 

When Martin tries to separate himself from Jon, he finds his arm being held tightly once more. He tamps down a blush as he extricates himself, because as tightly as Jon is attempting to hold him, Martin is the only person in the room without noodle arms. He sets the glass of water and the bottle of painkillers on the nightstand and turns to Jon, who is poutily sitting on the bed.

"Right. Take off your shoes, and you should probably drink some of the water before you fall asleep," he says, trying to sound commanding enough that Jon would do so. Jon whines at him and he sighs. "Okay. I know you're lucid enough to take a sip of that water, mister," he says, raising an eyebrow at him. Jon grumbles, but he picks up the glass and takes a long sip, so Martin smiles at him. Jon sets the glass back down, and if Martin didn't know better, he'd say Jon was blushing.

Jon doesn't take his shoes off, but he also doesn't move to lie down. Martin sighs again. "Jon. Come on. Shoes off and go to bed." Jon scowls at him.

"'m tired," he says grumpily. Martin huffs in amusement. 

"Then take off your shoes and go to bed, dummy," he says exasperatedly. Jon grumbles.

"Don' wanna." At Martin's incredulously raised eyebrow, Jon whines. "'m cold, too," he says. Martin thinks it might be his hopeful voice. 

"Well, you're in luck. My comforter is very warm. Now, if you would take your shoes off and go to bed, you would probably be warmer," Martin explains. Jon grumbles and doesn't make any move to do as Martin said. He sighs once more and takes a knee, swiftly pulling Jon's shoes off and sweeping his legs onto the bed as he stands back up. "There. Now, if you're cold, you can get under the covers. Sleep on your side. Sweet dreams, Jon. See you in the morning." Martin turns to walk away, but Jon grabs his hand. Martin looks back at him, raising an eyebrow, and Jon tugs on his arm.

"'m cold. C'mere." Martin freezes in place. He's way too tired and _way_ too sober for Jon right now, soft and tired with his holding Martin's hand and his 'c'mere' and his hair messy from cuddling against Martin. 

"I- don't think I should. You're drunk, Jon," Martin protests. Jon pulls on his hand again and grumbles at him again.

"Mn. Kay. G'night, M'rtn." Martin tries to take his hand back, but Jon holds tight.

"Er, Jon, could I have my hand back?" Jon mumbles something that Martin can't make out and pulls on his hand. Martin nearly stumbles forwards, but catches himself and takes a half-step instead. "J-Jon, seriously, you should- you should go to bed," Martin stammers, blushing. Jon is now holding his hand in both of his and running a thumb gently across his knuckles. Martin lets out a noise he refuses to call a squeak. Jon smiles up at him and Martin makes the noise again.

"OKAYNIGHTJONBYE," Martin blurts out. He pulls his hand back quickly, turns tail, and flees. 

A half hour later, he's laying on his couch. He texts Basira, as she's both likely to still be up and likely to still be sober. Also she gives better advice than Daisy.

 **kmart blackwood**  
basira help are you still up  
im having a crisis helpp

 **basira, queen of the lesbians**  
Whats wrong  
?

 **kmart blackwood**  
we went out drinking tonight  
and tim & sasha are in jon's dorm  
& melanie is at georgies  
so jon is staying with me for the night

 **basira, queen of the lesbians**  
Im beginning to see the issue here

 **kmart blackwood**  
RIGHT  
so drunk jon. is the most affectionate person ever  
he?? hugged my hand???? and was basically cuddling me for the whole walk here??????

 **basira, queen of the lesbians**  
And you confessed your undying love and the two of you lived happily ever after?

 **kmart blackwood**  
if by that you mean i yelled goodnight and sprinted out the room then yes  
what do i do i cant have a crush on him!  
hes tims roomate!  
hes georgies ex!

 **basira, queen of the lesbians**  
Honestly? I think you should just go for it  
He and Georgie split, and shes dating Melanie now  
And Martin, if you can honestly tell me you think Tim doesnt want you dating Jon, Ill buy you lunch for a week

 **kmart blackwood**  
..............  
fine  
ill tell him eventually

 **basira, queen of the lesbians**  
Good. Now, if youll excuse me, Im going to return to my book

 **kmart blackwood**  
thank you basira!! goodnight

 **basira, queen of the lesbians**  
Yes. Goodnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if youre wondering why the nicknames are different it is bc thats dms, babey!


	8. In Which Jon Feels Emotions And Regrets It

Jon wakes up the next morning with a throbbing headache, in a bed he doesn't recognize, with only vague memories of the night before and a cup of water and painkillers on the end table next to him.

He decides to address the problems in front of him in order of physical importance. The pills in the bottle match the image on the label, so he reads the information on the back of the bottle, then takes two and drinks half the glass of water. He's not in his dorm or Georgie's apartment, so he tries to think back to last night. He remembers Tim, an arm looped around Sasha, shooting him the 'Could you stay with someone else tonight?' look. He remembers Georgie and Melanie, giggling and leaning on each other heavily. And then.

And then.

He remembers asking Martin if he could stay over. With a bit more effort, he vaguely remembers holding onto his arm, smiling and laughing and humming. And then his head throbs, so he lays back down and puts the entire pillow over his head.

It smells like Martin.

Once the pain resides enough for him to remove the pillow, Jon checks himself over. Same clothes as last night and, when he looks over the side of the bed, his shoes are lined up right there. His head aches, but the water helped somewhat. He rubs sleep out of his eyes and sits up, then drains the rest of the water.

Finally managing to stand up without his head splitting in two, Jon wanders out of the bedroom to find Martin in the kitchen, standing against the counter. He's standing with two plates and two mugs, with a kettle on the stovetop in front of him. He looks lost in thought, but then the toaster dings and the toast pops up and Martin lets out a little gasp-squeak noise of surprise that Jon finds _far_ too endearing. 

Martin sets toast on either plate and sets them to the side just in time for the kettle to whistle. He turns off the heat and pours the water over the teabags in each mug, holding a spoon above the bag so the water doesn't hit it directly. Jon remembers telling Martin that his favorite type of tea was chai, and, as he sees the box of teabags out next to the cups, he wonders if Martin making chai right now is a coincidence or if he remembers as well. 

Jon clears his throat quietly, trying to get Martin's attention without startling him, and is both pleased and a little disappointed when Martin hums in acknowledgement instead of letting out another one of those little gasp-squeaks. He finishes pouring the tea, then turns around and sends Jon a megawatt smile. 

"Um, I wasn't sure what you liked on your toast, so I left it plain, but if you want butter or marmalade or anything there's some in the fridge! I was also planning on making eggs, er, if that sounds good?" Martin says, fidgeting with the handle of the teapot he's just set down. Jon's smile is subdued, but present, as he walks across the room towards Martin. 

"Eggs would be great, thank you." Jon grabs both plates of toast and sets them on the small table in front of the couch, then returns for the tea. Martin had set the butter and marmalade out on the counter when he'd grabbed the eggs, so Jon moves those to the table as well. Then, he simply stands at the counter and watches Martin cook. His movements are practiced and smooth as he adds salt and pepper, then turns to Jon slightly while still keeping an eye on the eggs.

"Are you okay with green onions and cheese?" he asks, gesturing with the hand that isn't holding the spatula. 

"Yes," Jon responds, smiling at him. Martin smiles back and oh, normally something that bright would worsen Jon's headache but all he feels is fondness so strong it worries him. Martin grates cheddar over the eggs and turns down the heat while he chops green onions, sliding them off the cutting board and into the pan. It smells quite nice in the little apartment by the time Martin turns off the heat on the stove. He carries the pan over to the little table by the couch and scrapes half the eggs onto each plate before bringing the pan back into the kitchen and setting it in the sink. 

When he turns the water on to rinse off the pan, it hisses on contact and a burst of steam erupts from the pan. Jon, embarrassingly enough, startles and lets out a little yelp. Martin chuckles, and, if Jon didn't know better, he'd say that it sounded fond. 

The pair of them eat in relative silence, side by side on the couch. Jon keeps stealing glances at Martin, sleep-ruffled and soft in the morning light, and Martin catches him looking more than once. When they're both done, Martin brings the plates to the sink and begins to wash them, along with the pan and his mug. Jon is just finishing off his own tea when Martin speaks.

"How are you feeling? You were pretty drunk last night, so I tried to get you to drink some water, but you were being pretty resistant to self care," he says with a little huff of a laugh that makes Jon melt on the spot.

"I'm alright. My head doesn't ache as much as it did when I woke up," he answers, smiling. Martin continues washing, but nods happily. 

"That's good. Did you take any painkillers? I, um, I left the bottle next to the bed, but I wasn't sure if you saw it."

"I did. Thank you, Martin. You're a very considerate host," he chuckles. Martin seems to blush, but he turns away to dry the dishes before Jon can get a second look. He convinces himself it was nothing but a trick of the light.

"Well, that's very kind of you to say, Jon," Martin replies. Jon can hear the smile in his voice. 

"How, er, how are _you_ feeling, Martin?" he asks. Martin huffs again- fond, amused, exasperated, Jon can't quite tell. 

"I'm alright as well. I didn't have nearly as much to drink as the rest of you, and I was doing two waters in between each drink for most of the night, so I'm... pretty much fine." Martin has finished the dishes by now, and so he turns to face Jon, smiling softly. He's fidgeting with the hem of his pajama shirt, twisting the material back and forth, and the movement entrances Jon for a second before he looks back up to meet Martin's gaze. 

The conversation slows, as does time, Jon thinks. He knows it sounds cliche, but he would swear that's what it feels like. 

Then, Martin's phone buzzes, and the moment is shattered. Jon awkwardly looks down while Martin blanches and fishes his phone out of the pocket of his sweatpants. He groans frustratedly and shoves it back in his pocket without unlocking it. The two of them smile at each other, each laughing quietly as the tension drains out of the room. 

As the midmorning sunlight filters in through the windows, Jon and Martin share this quiet, peaceful moment.


	9. In Which Our Favorite Girls Do Some Schemin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *chanting* WTGFS CHAPTER WTGFS CHAPTER WTGFS CHAPTER

The morning after they'd pulled off their excellent plan finds Melanie and Georgie asleep, curled up together. 

The sun breaks through the blinds, falling in slivers across their faces. They sleep, obliviously, peacefully, the rest of the city waking around them. 

They _did_ sleep peacefully, that is, until a large, coppery cat strolls into the room, hops onto the bed, and sits on Georgie. He meows and begins to knead at her shoulder until, eventually, she stirs, blearily rubbing sleep out of her eyes. The cat puts a paw on her face, and she laughs gently, displacing the cat for long enough that she can untangle herself from the covers and her girlfriend. She sits up, stands, and is nearly out of the room before Melanie begins to wake as well, groaning in displeasure. 

Georgie handles her alcohol better than Melanie, and she drank less the night before anyways, so she heads out to the kitchen and feeds the Admiral before returning with two glasses of water and painkillers. She kisses Melanie's forehead and sets down the waters on the bedside table and is struck, suddenly, by the realization of just how... casually intimate, all of it is.

They haven't been dating for that long; not as long as Daisy and Basira, and probably not half as long as they've _known_ each other. Yet, in moments like this, it feels like they've been in love forever. The easy affection, the gentle love, the tenderness with which they operate is constant, but something about the way the early morning light paints Melanie in oranges and reds and yellows and the way the Admiral curls up on her lap, quietly purring, makes Georgie's heart clench. She sits down on top of the comforter and leans against Melanie's side, dropping kisses onto her shoulder as Melanie grumbles obscenities at the sun.

Eventually, Melanie is awake enough to take the offered water and ibuprofen, to offer Georgie a 'good morning', to pet the Admiral behind the ears and smile. Georgie smiles as well, kisses her cheek and, instead of getting up to make breakfast, opts to spend a little while longer here, with Melanie, because the covers and Melanie and the Admiral are warm and soft and cozy as can be. 

A part of Georgie never wants to get up.

Alas, the wheels of time turn over, and eventually her want for food outweighs her want for warmth, so she and Melanie get up and move to the kitchen. Melanie pulls out a pan, eggs, and butter, while Georgie pops bread in the toaster and starts to make coffee. The pair move around each other with the kind of quiet ease that only comes with practice. The toast pops up, and Georgie moves behind Melanie just as Melanie turns to put the butter away, neither bumping into the other. It was almost a dance, the two maneuvering around each other gracefully; Georgie takes out the toast, plates it, sets it near the stovetop, and moves back to pour the coffee while Melanie scrapes the eggs off the pan and onto the toast. She sets the pan in the sink and pours cold water over it, and Georgie moves the plates and cups to the small table they'd set up between the kitchen and living room. 

The two eat in companionable quiet, exchanging compliments on the food, the coffee, trading small talk about how they'd slept, but mostly just sharing the meal, the space, and the moment. When they're done eating, Melanie washes the dishes while Georgie dries and puts them away. The pair of them finish, and Melanie leans against the counter. Georgie feels her eyes on her and grins softly, reaching out to take one of Melanie's hands between her own. They smile at each other.

Then Melanie's phone buzzes, and she fishes it out of her pocket with her free hand, brow furrowing in curiosity. Her eyes widen and she cackles, shattering the quiet of the morning, but turning her phone around so Georgie can read the texts appearing on her screen. 

**daisy chain**  
If Basira or Martin asks, you didn't hear this from me.  
But last night Jon stayed at Martin's.  
And it seems our boy is no longer denying the obvious.  
But again,  
you did not hear this from me.

Georgie begins to laugh as well, kissing Melanie proudly. Their plan had worked perfectly! Now they needed to get Jon to realize he liked Martin. After that, getting them together would be much easier. But first, they have to gloat.

Melanie drops her arm around Georgie's shoulders and kisses her cheek, taking a picture of them and sending it to Martin with the caption "this couls be u & jon but u wont mka eu r move <3". Georgie laughs softly and kisses her cheek in revenge, then pulls her over to the couch and sits, pulling her into her lap. The Admiral, of course, takes this as an invitation and perches himself in Melanie's lap. 

"Okay, Melanie, what's your next dastardly scheme?" she asks, pressing a kiss to Melanie's shoulder.

"Alright, get this: roller skating." At Georgie's incredulously raised eyebrow, she explains herself: "Right, so, Jon is a clutz, right? And Martin is, like, surprisingly good at roller skating, okay? And what better way to get Jon 'emotions? what are those?' Sims to admit he has A Feeling than to _literally_ have him fall for Martin?" At the end of her explanation, Georgie grins at her proudly. 

"Now _that's_ a plan. We have significantly less blackmail for Jon now, so getting him to come roller skating might be a bit of a hassle, but I believe in the squad. Text the CGC before the regular chat?" she asks. Melanie nods and pulls out her phone, texting the self-titled Chaos Group Chat.

 **more like melanie QUEEN**  
hey gys idea of hte senturey   
we go roller blading so martinc an flitr w jon AND show off  
whose with me  
🔪 i dont see any tyoubg 

**timmy turner**  
thats becase its ASS OCLOCK IN THE MORNING melanie  
how dare you wake me up with a genius plan  
when its FAR too early for me to appreciate it

 **more like melanie QUEEN**  
well i only TEXTED thie early   
becase im abt ti tezt the GROUP CHAT  
and i need yall to back me UO  
timothy dark'ness dimentai ravne stoker

 **timmy turner**  
not my middle names but okat

 **more like melanie QUEEN**  
whatever dweeb jsut uspport me   
🔪🔪🔪

 **timmy turner**  
fine but only becayse i think we can get jon to admit he has feelings  
NOT because i support or like yiy

 **more like melanie QUEEN**  
🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

She clicks out of the CGC and toggles over to the regular group chat, Georgie reading over her shoulder instead of getting her own phone out.

 **gluten free**  
HEY LOSERS WERE GOIGN ROLLER SKATING  
when are yall all free

 **Jon.**  
I'm free after 3 any day this week.  
Except Thursday.

 **jon**  
Same  
But with Friday instead of Thursday

 **gluten free**  
so wednesday at 3:30?

 **garbage boy. stinkman**  
yea sure why not

 **i cant see you without my glasses**  
absolutely!!

 **gluten free**  
wonderful. ib etter see efveryne thete or imxomgin for yall  
🔪🔪🔪

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> flame waf is martin  
> garbage boy. stinkman. is tim  
> Ghost Town is georgie  
> The Admiral's Dad-miral is jon  
> gluten free is melanie  
> i cant see you without my glasses is sasha  
> Jon. is daisy  
> jon is basira


End file.
